-
The distinct hue of a tragaluz (plastic skylight) lights the room where
the Miman Moq’lil school’s basketball team stands. Modern roofs are
usually constructed of aluminum sheets, as opposed to the traditional
wooden slats, and in order to permit light, one or two plastic sheets
are incorporated. The most common color choices are green or blue,
casting these shades over the entirety of the interior of the house.
-
Adorned with the traditional red head wrap, this group of girls
watches a skit during the Mother’s Day community celebration in
Nuq’witz. Originally assigned as means of oppression and control by
the conquistadores, distinctly styled traditional clothing
differentiates each indigenous group and area in Guatemala. This
clothing is now a symbol of each Mayan community’s unique culture and
traditions.
-
Petlon is an inspiration for hard work. A childless widow, she lives
by herself and therefore does the work of an entire family. She cooks,
cleans, carries firewood, tends to animals, farms her land, finds
small entrepreneurial projects whenever possible, and brings us all the
tortillas we can eat.
-
It is a regular occurrence that children come visit us at our house.
On one afternoon the visit of a group of girls turned into a
spontaneous, giggling wrestling match. Here, two sisters laugh as the
younger momentarily pins the older one on the grass.
-
Long, thick hair is a symbol of femininity in the Mayan culture.
Traditionally women of the area intertwine their long hair with
colorful fabrics then wrap them together around their head. This group
of young girls’ heads is at the village celebration of the Guatemalan
Independence Day.
-
On market day, the center of social and economic life, the streets of
Jolom Konob (Santa Eulalia) are filled with vendors. Many are from
local villages selling excess crops, others sell produce from around
Guatemala, and some sell random knickknacks and goods from small
plastic combs to thick imported blankets.
-
A Miman Moq’lil man poses next to his helado (ice cream) cart during a
market day in town. The production and sale of handmade ice cream is a
trade dominated by members of the Moq’lil villages, as it is one of
the few entrepreneurial ventures in the town center available to them.
-
A scenic view of the village basketball court. Basketball is the main
recreational activity of the men in the villages and the Moq’lil
citizens are some of the best players in the area. This might be
partly due to the lack of electricity which promotes outdoor
recreation.
-
Extended bellies and children that suffer from stunted growth are a
common site. Santa Eulalia has the worst rate of child malnutrition in
the country.
-
Ewul dressed in a beautiful kamix (blouse) and chan (long skirt) while
planting beans during a garden Project. The women and girls are always
dressed in a stunning array of colors and designs for the work of
their daily life.
-
Returning from an edible plant walk, Petlon, our neighbor and adoptive
grandmother, smiles for the camera. Like most older members of
the community, Petlon does not know how old she is, but it is certain
that she has many years of experience living off the land and is
therefore an excellent local guide.
-
Xiwin helps her eldest daughter, Angelina, to wrap her younger sister,
baby Xiwin, onto her back. In all of rural Guatemala, women
traditionally employ colorful wrap blankets to support their babies
and small children to their back and chest. Older daughters, aunts,
and grandmothers share in the responsibility.
-
During a casual visit to the neighbor’s house, Nicholas plays with
Marcin and Roxha. Interactions like this are one of the common joys in
our work and provide opportunities to practice our conversational
skills in the Q’anjob’al dialect.
-
Due to the lack of electricity, community life is tuned to the rising and setting of the sun. The play of sun and clouds in the valley often creates beautiful colors and views.
-
These tiny, colorful, newborn pigs forage the earth only feet away
from their 300 pound mother. Pigs are a revenue source as piglets as
well as for meat when they’re older, and their waste serves as
fertilizer for the family’s crops.
-
Santa Eulalia is Tierra de la Marimba (Land of the Marimba), as its
forests and workshops are known for their production of the marimba,
the national instrument.
-
An expectation of respectful community membership, participation in
group manual labor efforts is a regular part of men’s work schedules.
Such work collaborations include house, school, and road constructions
and repairs, and, here, surveying for a water Project in Yalix Moq'lil.
-
Before the arrival of aluminum, roofs and many times the entire house,
were constructed from small slats of wood. Many families still prefer
to use wood instead of metal, but deforestation has made the availability of
the type of wood used for these slats very limited, almost
nonexistent.
-
The annual Santa Eulalia feria (fair) is a week-long dedication to the
town’s patron saint. The religious festival (which includes a parade,
Holy mass and prayer services, marimba music, dances, skits, athletic
competitions, fireworks and food) celebrates the history, culture, and
faith of the community. In this dance, a man dressed as a bull
recreates a story from the time of the Spanish conquest.
-
The mother of this family recently died during childbirth. Here, only
the boys are seen, but there is still one female member of the family,
a 13 year old daughter. She has inherited all of the typical “woman’s”
chores, essentially taking care of her father and brothers.
-
A clay bowl of delicately colored, recently harvested, local beans
reflects the beautiful simplicity of Q’anjob’al Mayan agriculture. In
their spiritual belief, seeds, such as these beans, are blessed
vessels. They plant seeds of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) all at the same time to grow in benefit and balance of one
another and to produce the sacred crops that are the basis of their
diet.
-
A typical Moq’lil family stands among the beautiful foliage of their
patio. In the background a thatch-roofed awning covers the family
ikaj. Common to all homes, these small saunas are made of stone and
mud and serve as bathing houses.
-
In front of the first grade class in Miman Moq’lil, Nicholas leads a
health lesson in hand washing. As a change from the mundane
lecture style common to Guatemalan education, our classroom teaching
incorporates activities to evoke interest and to encourage student
participation and creativity.
-
An atypical calm moment for the two sections of first grade at Miman
Moq’lil. This large class size, with almost even numbers of girls and
boys, dwindles in overall number and in the amount of girls at each
successive grade level. For example, this year’s sixth grade class
consisted of only three boys and no girls.
-
Katharine’s kexel (person with the same name, Katal, in Q’anjob’al) is
one of the few female teachers in Santa Eulalia and works in Nuq’witz.
Before the recent completion of a new school this year, the students
received instruction in this one room wood school house separated in
two by a few thin sheets of metal.
-
“Dios está (a)qui” (God is here) is scrawled on the outer wall of a
house on the apex of the mountain in Miman Moq’lil. The local Catholic
church is another center of social life and has incorporated many of
the Mayan religious symbols, traditions, and holidays, a common
occurrence in indigenous communities. A strong faith in God is a
common characteristic of individuals and families in the villages and
almost everyone participates in na’il txa’ (church).
-
Tall rubber boots are the preferred work footwear for men in these
rural communities and with good reason, as they are impervious to the
effects of water, mud, and rough wear. Men’s normal attire is
semi-formal, including a buttoned collared shirt, slacks, jacket, and
hat. Men (as well as women) dress with an admirable sense of dignity
and pride.
-
Breathtaking views abound in these villages. The people know every
valley and ridge, every path on the mountain, every plant type, and
every water source. There is an obvious and beautiful intimacy and
interdependency of the Q’anjob’al people and their land.
-
Nicholas is enjoying a warm cup of coffee alongside Tulum Rey during a
house visit. Anytime we arrive to a family’s house, chairs quickly
appear, and we are soon given a warm drink and something to eat.
Although many families barely have enough for themselves, they humbly
extend their hospitality as a demonstration of welcoming and respect
for their guests.
-
This is the matriarch of the most progressive, forward-thinking family
in the three villages. Supporting and sacrificing for the education of
all of their now grown children, the parents of this family have
created a household that nurtures new ideas and community leadership.
-
On only one day of the year, the Catholic priest from Santa Eulalia
visits the village. On this day the sacraments of marriage, first
communion, and baptism are all performed in one service. This couple
was married and baptized their youngest child.
-
Mayan ceremonies are commonly performed to bless a certain day, place,
or beginning of a project or phase in life. These ceremonies address
each nahual (Mayan Earth spirit) individually, asking for the blessing
of their respective areas of power. Through the Mayan cross, the
cardinal directions are heavily incorporated as well as a plea for the
support of their ancestors.
-
“Vive y aproveche tu vida” (Live and make the best of your life) and
“La vida esta llena de triunfo” (Life is full of triumph) read the
handwritten signs that line the bedroom of Humberto, a leader from Yalix
Moq’lil. He is the most educated and proactive member of the community
and strives for its benefit. We are currently working to find a
scholarship for him to complete his studies and realize his dreams to
become the first community teacher to have been born in the village.
-
In this view of the village center, the long blue structure is the
community school in Miman Moq’lil. The school building functions not
only for classes but also as the community center where all meetings
and celebrations are held.
-
Shepherding goats, sheep, and pigs is a normal chore for children,
many times the reason that they stop attending school.
-
Tumax is the father of one of the better off families in the villages.
They grow enough food to sell some in the market and own the simple
txon (small store) in the village, in front of which he is standing.
-
Upon our arrival, there was only one available property with two
separate houses where we could live. As with every community manual
labor project, a representative from most families participated to
build cement floors and a roof for the houses, demonstrating their
commitment to our project from the first day. Women representatives
helped us clean the houses, which had been abandoned for twelve years,
and constructed small wooden structures to make everyday life easier.
-
For civil and religious marriage ceremonies, families of these
villages celebrate with a gathering of friends and neighbors at their
homes. The txix (corn tamales) are wrapped in palm leaves to be
steamed, then are served with meat, usually pig or goat. All the women
who attend help to prepare the food, while the men help to construct
temporary tables and benches for the celebration.
-
Luz Mat sits with two of her daughters in their family’s traveling
clothing booth. She has been a close friend since our first days, when
she helped clean and repair our homes and made us comfortable in
settling into the village.
-
Doors in the village are split in half, and during the day the top
half of the door is always open. This is a physical representation of
the social norm that visitors are common and always welcome. We
happily follow this custom, which means that our days are filled with
a constant flow of people, ranging from children to grandparents.
Katharine is seen here passing the afternoon with two friends and
their stuffed animal.
-
A mother carefully holds her beautifully wrapped young baby, only a
few weeks after the death of her previously born son. Tragically,
infant mortality rates in Santa Eulalia are some of the highest in the
country.
-
The sign behind the boy reads “Mi vida es preciosa” (my life is
precious). During one of our bilingual (Q’anjob’al and Spanish) health
talks at the schools, the students signed this declaration with a
drawing of their hand. This lesson and activity reinforced the
importance of taking care of yourself and being healthy.
-
Every animal that lives in the village has their specific role in the
daily work of village life. Dogs are alarms and protection when
walking in the mountains, cats rid the house and surrounding area of
unwanted rodents, chickens and ducks provide eggs and meat, and
donkeys and horses help to carry lumber and firewood.
-
Tulum Rey (King Bartolome) poses here with his family. Twenty-three
adults and children share one kitchen and two bedrooms. Tulum Rey is
dedicated to developing the community. He is the president of the
health committee, vice president of the school committee, an active
member of the church committee, and our largest partner and supporter
in Miman Moq’lil.
-
Malin and her daughter Xiwin live alone in a one room shack where they
both cook on an open fire and sleep. The community built this house
for them and some families bring them food and clothes. Malin, a very
sweet yet reserved woman, participates in all of our meetings and is
one of the few women that has never missed a nutrition/cooking class.
-
The small splash of color among the green hillside of young corn
plants is a row of men working the land. Male family members by hand, till, sow, weed, and care for the awal (corn) during the growing
season. Then during the harvest the entire family works together to
gather the crop.
-
This is a group of some of the sweetest chikay (grandmothers) in these
villages. These well-respected matriarchs always greet us with open
arms and large smiles.
-
Every Sunday during the town center’s main market day, basketball
games are held as part of a league competition for teams from local
villages. Nicholas was invited to play with the team from Moq’lil,
Arcenal, and found it a great way to establish confidence, friendship,
and pride with teammates and community members. He was, by far, the
tallest player in the league during his three-season career; he has
since retired for ideological reasons related to a loose respect for
the game’s proper rules (especially those concerning personal fouls).
-
Jolom Konob’ is the actual name, in native Q’anjob’al dialect, for the
the town called Santa Eulalia. Perhaps unfortunately, all towns and
people in Guatemala are officially documented only by their Spanish
translations. Jolom Konob’ (literally translated “head” “town”) is
named such because it is the center and source of the Q’anjob’al
region and culture.
-
A month after our arrival, our closest neighbor’s son, Makali, was
born. As a symbol of respect for our presence, he was named after our
boss that had been with us at our first meeting, in which we were
presented to the community. The growth of this child is a constant
reminder of the passage of our time in the village as well as a
demonstration of the personal effect that we are having on individuals
and families. Please support us in our work to positively impact these
genuine and caring people and their villages. Donate Now.
|